


The Millennium Falcon Friends & The Headless Horseman Haunting

by Soupe



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Scooby Doo Fusion, Anachronistic, Complete, Corgi BB-8, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Ghosts, Hints of Poe/Finn and Rose/Finn, Mutual Pining, Mystery, Scooby Doo References, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, Trapped In A Closet, Unresolved Romantic Tension, headless horseman - Freeform, spooky vibes, there's only one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22853908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupe/pseuds/Soupe
Summary: A group of college friends on Thanksgiving break encounter a small town where things are not what they seem. Stranded and confronted with the confounding conundrum of the town's haunting, the gang takes it upon themselves to solve the mystery of the Headless Horseman.A Scooby-Doo AU.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	1. Thursday

**Author's Note:**

> When I saw [this tweet](https://twitter.com/classicalblues/status/1215737669587697664?s=20), I had to write it. My compliments to twitter user @ classicalblues for the inspo.
> 
> Also! I've made many references to my mom's favourite 80s/90s mystery show. Bragging rights to whoever can figure it out.
> 
> I hope everyone gets a kick out of it. I had a lot of fun writing this, as tricky as it was to plot out. If I'm feeling ambitious I might just make a series out of this.

Rey had a bad feeling about this.

Ben was driving, so her bad feelings were warranted. He was notorious for his road rage and control issues when he was behind the wheel. If you were in the passenger’s seat, you had better be prepared to read off directions to his specifications and for him to glare every time you reach for the AUX cord. And don’t even think of putting your feet on the dashboard.

Most couldn’t handle Ben when he was driving. But Rey wasn’t most people. Not to Ben, though he was loath to show or admit it, even to himself.

He drove a fully restored, baby blue 1970s Ford Ecoline van, lovingly referred to as the Millennium Falcon. It was his father’s baby—which definitely didn’t make Ben jealous or drive a petty wedge between the two for years. But when Ben turned 21, his father surprised him by gifting it to him. He was hesitant to accept it at first, always holding an irrational resentment toward the boxy, clunky vehicle, but he recognized what his father was trying to do. It was an olive branch.

Ben knew how much the van meant to his father. And offering it to him meant a lot to Ben. His father’s gold dice that he loved to play with as a child still hung from the rear-view window. Seeing them while he drove never failed to put a smile on Ben’s face as he remembered all the family road trips with his parents and their dog Chewie in this van. Before things got bad.

His small smile quickly dropped as he saw Poe in the rear-view mirror opening another bag of Cheetos in the backseat.

“You better not fucking get Cheeto dust on my seats,” he warned sternly.

Poe looked at him innocently. “Of course not. I’m not a monster,” he replied holding up a pair of chopsticks. Poe may be a stoner, but he wasn’t a complete slob.

Rose rolled her eyes from beside him, swatting Poe’s hand away as he taunted her with the pinching chopsticks. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth anyway. Poe’s faithful Corgi BB-8 panted from beside him, silently begging for junk food he knew he wasn’t supposed to have. Poe named him while high—his reasoning at the time was that it meant “Buddy Boy 8”. He couldn’t remember what the eight was for, but the name stuck anyway.

“Exit 60 is coming up,” Rey piped in, distracting Ben from whatever nonsense was happening in the backseat. He changed into the next lane over, ready to merge when their exit came up.

Suddenly, a sputtering sound came from within the van. Ben looked down at his gauges in confusion. Something was definitely wrong.

“Damn it,” he swore. “We’re going to have to pull-over.”

Rey opened the map to look for a place to stop. “Exit here. There’s a small town nearby.” Ben followed her directions, pulling off the highway into a forested area. They passed by a welcome sign as they drove down the isolated road.

_Welcome to Cabot Cove, Maine_   
_Population 1,984_

The van continued to make what were definitely the wrong sounds, but luckily for them there was a diner right off the road. They pulled in and Ben parked with a frustrated sigh. It was already getting dark out and he really didn’t want to troubleshoot car problems in some random town parking lot in the dark. He also didn’t want their holiday weekend to be cut short because of car troubles.

He hopped out and opened the hood of the van. Steam billowed out and Ben sighed again. This really was not good. He’d already spent so much time and money maintaining the van and he wasn’t sure he could afford any major repairs right now. Being a college student wasn’t cheap after all. And he really didn’t want to ask his parents for money. He was an adult and this van was his responsibility. But he’d hate to have to give it up. More urgently, he’d hate to be stranded in middle-of-nowhere Maine for Thanksgiving weekend.

So much for a relaxing long weekend.

Rey and Rose came up beside him to take a look while Poe ran around the parking lot with BB-8, stretching their legs and working off the many snacks they consumed over the two hours they’ve been on the road.

“I think we’re going to need a mechanic,” Rey said, poking around the engine and oil filter.

“And here I thought you were such a great engineer.” He was only trying to tease her, but his concern for his father’s van—his van—made his tone much harsher than he intended.

“I don’t see your history degree coming in handy right now,” she shot back with narrowed eyes.

Ben closed his eyes and sighed, realizing his mistake. He turned to Rey, but she had already walked off to join Poe and BB-8 before he could apologize. He knew Rey was sensitive about school. She worked harder than anyone he knew to maintain her grades and excel in her program. She hadn’t had an easy life growing up and academics weren’t her strong suit because of it. It was hard to do well in school when you were barely scraping enough together to eat each day.

Ben fell into old habits, slipping an emotionless mask on as he continued to internally berate himself for his carelessness. Rose spoke suddenly from beside him. “We should go inside and see if there’s a mechanic nearby. You can apologize to Rey later.” She patted his arm. He often wondered if Rose knew more than she let on when it came to the innerworkings of those around her.

He silently nodded. Closing the hood of the van and locking up, he followed her to the diner. He took the time to look around at the town for the first time.

It was a quaint waterfront community. The Canto Bite Diner, as the sign indicated, was the first stop off the highway in a lightly wooded area in sight of the beach. The businesses and homes were small, boxy structures, like the post-war houses built in the 50s. They were well-kept despite their age, with cultivated gardens, some adorned with birdfeeders, birdbaths, and garden gnomes.

The diner was all but empty when they stepped through the doors, with Poe and Rey trailing behind them. There was one lone patron settling their bill at the counter.

The only waitress on staff looked up at the four friends with a smile that quickly dropped. More tourists, she thought in annoyance. “We’re closing soon,” she warned them in a crisp tone.

Rey’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It was barely 7 P.M., why would a diner close so early? Poe groaned from beside her. “Could I get a club sandwich before you close?” he asked pleadingly.

Ben interrupted before she could answer. There were more pressing matters at hand. “Our van broke down, we’re just looking for a mechanic or a tow company.” His tone was once again harsher than he intended. He didn’t want to intimidate anyone, but he was already on edge.

“There’s a local auto shop down the road, but they’re closed by now. You’ll have to call in the morning.”

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. This day couldn’t get any worse. Rey glanced at him in concern but quickly turned back to the waitress. “Is there a hotel or anything in town?” If it came to it, they could sleep in the van but that wasn’t exactly her first choice.

“There’s an inn off Windom Street. Go down two streets down and turn right, you’ll see the signs.”

“Great. I know you’re closing soon, but we’ve had a long day of driving. Could we please get a couple sandwiches to go?” she asked, smilingly kindly at the woman.

Her closed off expression became sympathetic. “Sure thing.” She hesitated for a beat before adding “Listen, you really shouldn’t be out too late after dark around here.”

They looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean? Is it unsafe?” Rose asked with concern.

“Just trust me. Don’t wander after dark,” she warned again before turning to the kitchen to fix their dinner.

Rey looked at her friends with uncertainty. They’ve stumbled into the wrong town and she didn’t want to stay any longer than necessary.

“Well, this place seems fun,” Poe piped in with absentminded enthusiasm. Rey, Ben, and Rose looked at him dumbfounded. Rose led Poe to the counter to wait. “You should lay off the pot, Dameron. You’re not of sound mind,” she teased.

Ben looked to Rey wanting to apologize for his careless words from earlier, but she was already turning away from him, following their friends to the counter. He sighed quietly and followed. He hoped they could get out of this town soon and actually enjoy their holiday weekend.

They were on their way to Old Orchard Beach to spend Thanksgiving break at Rose’s family cottage. Family was very important to the Tico sisters and without Paige around anymore, family holidays were difficult for Rose. It was the hardest thing she has ever had to face, losing her sister, and every family holiday served as a tragic reminder that Paige was gone. But she was determined to keep the Tico tradition of going up to the family cottage for Thanksgiving. Even if Paige wasn’t there, Rose was grateful to have her friends spend the weekend with her.

Ben was happy to for the excuse to avoid his own family that weekend. His teenage years had been tumultuous. His parents were either fighting or seemed too busy for him, and so he often felt alone and isolated. As a result, he latched onto the first group that accepted him—which unfortunately for him was a small-time gang, the First Order. Getting in fights and selling drugs became his norm. It wasn’t until recently that he was able to remove himself from the toxic environment—when he met Rey. She somehow saw through the walls he had built up, the façade created out of anger, self-hatred, guilt. Without her breaking through those walls and showing him, he didn’t have to be alone, he didn’t know where he would be. But he’d yet to reconnect with his family on any real level. He’d returned home and everyone made their apologies, but things were still awkward and stilted between them.

Rey was more than happy to have somewhere to go on Thanksgiving. Growing up as an orphan in the foster system, she didn’t often get to enjoy a big family meal. And even when she did, those families never lasted. She’d inevitably be shipped off to some other foster family in some other town. But she didn’t need parents or siblings to have a family. Her friends were her family now and she’d grown a lot since aging out of the system. And while she knew Rose was strong and would manage without Paige, she was still worried about Ben. She’d helped him through the First Order ordeal, but he still sometimes slipped into that angry and hurt boy he had been from before, acting out to shield himself against everyone else, pushing everyone way, not allowing himself to appear vulnerable or weak.

But he was always himself with her. She didn’t know what that meant, and she didn’t want to read too much into it, but Rey wasn’t one to turn away from hope.

Once their sandwiches were ready, they headed out. The waitress quickly locked up behind them, hopped in her car, and sped out of the small parking lot.

“There’s something weird about this place,” Rey said. The sun had fully set as they pulled their bags out of the van and began what was hopefully a quick walk to the local inn. Walking down Windom Street, the only light came from the widespread streetlamps. All of the stores and houses were dark. It was like a ghost town. The only sounds were their feet on the pavement and Poe noisily eating his sandwich.

As they rounded a corner, they suddenly heard the clopping of hooves on pavement. Why would there be a horse galloping down the road in an empty town? The sound grew louder as they walked. It was quickly approaching. Suddenly, it was right behind them. A figure on a horse sped up towards them with no sign of stopping. The four friends pressed back away from the road, eyes wide and hearts beating rapidly. The dark horse reared up beside them, whinnying loudly.

Rey’s eyes widened even more as she looked at the figure.

He had no head.

Just as soon as the horseman stopped beside them, he continued on down the road, galloping into the distance before quickly disappearing from site. BB was quivering and hiding behind Poe.

Rey turned to her friends. “What just happened?”

“That man had no head,” Rose said, with alarming calmness.

“We should get to the inn,” Ben said, looking baffled by what they just witnessed.

“Wait, there’s someone over there,” Rose whispered urgently.

They spotted a figure in the shadows scuttling around the corner, looking very suspicious.

“If people don’t stay out after dark in this town, then what’s he doing?” Rey whispered, mostly to herself.

“Let’s find out,” Poe answered with far too much enthusiasm as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. Rose appeared to agree with him as they both tiptoed quickly, but silently toward the figure.

“No, wait—” Ben made to grab for them to stop, but they slipped out of reach. Ben swore under his breath. Why couldn’t they just go to the inn, eat their sandwiches, and call it a night?

Rey pulled a reluctant Ben after them. They crossed the street and followed the figure through a surprisingly clean alleyway. But on the other side they lost all sight of him.

“Did you get a good look at him?” Rose asked to Poe.

“No, he was wearing a large coat. But I think he was carrying a book.”

Beside him BB-8 was chewing on something. “Hey, buddy! Stop that!” BB looked up at him innocently.

“Drop it,” Poe commanded sternly. BB carefully dropped the item from his mouth. It was a small hardcover book, its edges warn from use.

Poe picked up the book.

“ _The Definitive History of Cabot Cove_ ,” he read. Turning to the front pages, Poe saw a name and address written on the inside.

“C. Threepio, 85 Tupper Street.”

He flipped through the pages quickly and was startled to see every corner of the pages covered in hand-written annotations. It was littered with notes and highlighting, clearly made over time in different pens and pencils. It had to have been read through many different times if the wear and tear were any sign. It fell open to a well-creased chapter.

_Chapter 5: The Horseman of Cabot Cove_

“Kind of an odd coincidence,” Rey noted as she read over his shoulder.

“This whole evening has been odd. Let’s just get to the inn,” Ben insisted in tired exasperation. Rey noted how exhausted he seemed. “C’mon, Rose!” he called.

Rey hadn’t even noticed her separate from where the group stood in the alley. She was back on the main road, crouching on the pavement where tracks of dirt were left by the horse. She wiped her hands and looked back at the dirt lining up and down the road.

They shuffled forward on the road, looking around and behind their shoulders constantly as if the horseman was going to reappear.

The inn was called The Hill House of Cabot Cove and was a large manor built in the mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival style. Walking up the front steps, Poe stopped the group.

“Wait!” He swung his backpack off his shoulder and dumped it on the front porch. “Alright, BB. You know the drill.”

The corgi hopped into his bag. Poe carefully lifted it and pulled his arms through the straps, wearing it in front of him like a baby bjorn. This wasn’t the first time he’s had to sneak his beloved dog onto private property.

The concierge greeted them kindly in the small lobby, her shiny nametag reading Kaydel Connix.

“Welcome to the Hill House. How can I help you?”

The gang hesitates before answering, clearly still shaken by the strange encounter. “Uh, yes,” Rey finally answered in a stilted voice.

“I take it you guys encountered our local legend tonight,” she said with a knowing smile.

They all nodded their heads. She gave a nod of her own, her kind smile morphing into one of amusement.

“Happens every Thanksgiving weekend. It’s been a local legend for ages and there have been claims of sightings for years, but he only started appearing so publicly a few years ago.”

“Well, that’s weird,” Rose responds.

Kaydel shrugs. “It’s become a bit of a tourism thing, but it still really freaks everyone out.”

“As great as this whole story is,” Ben interrupts, his tone a little short. “I’m exhausted. Do you happen to have any rooms available?” Rey gives him a side-eye before smiling apologetically at the concierge.

Kaydel’s eyes widened. “Oh! Of course!” She scrambled to the boxy computer in front of her. “We have two rooms available at the moment. How many nights will you be staying?”

Rey responds before Ben can even open his mouth. “Hopefully just the one,” she said with a smile.

Once their rooms were arranged at the front desk and they had received their keys, they headed up a grand, creaking staircase to the second floor. Their rooms were across the hall from each other, where Ben and Poe would share one room and Rey and Rose the other.

Ben looked to Rey as Rose opened their door. Before she could follow her in, he grabbed her wrist. “Rey, wait.”

She stopped and looked at him with a raised brow. He swallowed, knowing she was still a little upset with him. She looked at him expectantly.

“I wanted to apologize for before. I didn’t mean for what I said to be so harsh. I know how hard you work and that you’re a good engineer. I was stressed about the van and took it out on you, I’m sorry.”

Her expression softened at her words. “It’s okay. I know you’re stressed, Ben.” She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. “We’ll get the van fixed and then we can get out of this weird town,” she said with a laugh.

He smiled back as she turned to her room. He stood in the hall and looked at her closed door for a second before turning to his own room.

Poe was already lounging on the bed with bags of junk food strewn across the sheets.

There was only one bed.

Ben sighed, resigned and far too tired to care. He only wanted to eat his sandwich and go to sleep. He just hoped Poe hadn’t already gotten crumbs in the sheets.


	2. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang explores Cabot Cove and encounter the Headless Horseman once more at the town's annual Thanksgiving Festival.  
> Things heat up between Ben and Rey as their investigation continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the great response to this fic so far! I'm really pleased there people are enjoying it.  
> I've had a bit of a rough day. I didn't get a job I've been pining after for years - it instead went to my best friend lmao.
> 
> Now, have a had a few drinks and can't bring myself to proof read this again? Possibly. But I hope everyone enjoys this chapter anyway. I may be convinced to post the final chapter later this weekend, purely because I finished the entire thing last week and it's unlikely that I can bring myself to re-read and edit it anymore.
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome as always.

Cabot Cove had a much more inviting and vibrant energy in the daylight. There were people around for one. The Cabot Cove residents smiled and waved to the four friends. They were greeted as if they’d known these people their whole lives. It could have been the small-town hospitality, or it could have been Poe’s adorable corgi.

The diner was bustling that morning, a distinct difference from the emptiness of the night before.

“I guess this isn’t a ghost town after all,” Ben noted. Rey simply rolled her eyes.

“You must be Cabot Cove’s newest guests!” an enthusiastic voice called from the counter. They saw a very tall woman with shorn white-blonde hair.

They all nodded, still taken-aback by the open and welcoming response they had received.

“I’m Gwen Phasma, mayor of this sleepy little town,” she laughed. “It’s wonderful to have you here.” She came forward to shake each of their hands and introductions were made.

“So, I hear you’ve had some car troubled?” she said with an empathetic smile.

“Yes, we were going to head to the mechanic after some breakfast,” Ben said.

“Oh, don’t you worry about a thing! I’ve had it all taken care off. The mechanic is on his way already.”

Before they could thank her, a beanstalk of a man strode into the diner.

“Oh, mayor! There you are.” His high voice had a posh English accent and he looked like the picture of a stereotypical English professor. Knit cardigan with elbow patches, starched button-down shirt, corduroy slacks, and neat oxford shoes.

“I wanted to speak with you about last night’s horseman sighting!” he continued excitedly.

Phasma’s teeth clenched into a smile as she laughed. “Ah, Mr. Threepio, yes. Can we discuss in a moment? We have some new guests in town.” She gestured toward the gang. Threepio turned with surprise to the four of them.

“Oh, pardon me! Hello! I am C. Threepio, Cabot Cove Public Relations. I’m also the town’s local historian. I do so hope you’re enjoying your stay here.”

Rose’s brows rose in recognition. She looked to the others knowingly as she shook his hand.

“Oh, nice to meet you.”

After a beat of awkward silence, Gwen interrupted, “Mr. Threepio, I believe Art is waiting for you in the usual booth.” She pointed to a back corner booth where a stout white haired man sat reading the newspaper.

“Right you are, Mayor! If you’ll excuse me!” he said with the same enthusiasm. Threepio waved to the gang as he passed and joined his friend at the back of the diner.

“Since it seems you’ll be here for the next little while, please come out to our Thanksgiving Festival. It runs all weekend long, but the opening ceremony is tonight. There will be games, livestock, food, everything. It’s sure to be a marvelous event!” The mayor’s excitement was rather infectious. The gang looked at each other and nodded.

“Sounds like fun! We’ll be sure to make it out,” Rose answered. “But, is that horseman thing going to be a problem?”

“Oh no! In fact, it’s become a bit of a draw the past few years,” Gwen responded conspiratorially. “And the story is a point of pride for the town. Speaking of which, our resident author will be debuting a preview of her new novel, too! Maybe you’ve heard of her? Amilyn Holdo?”

Rose made such a high-pitched noise of excitement that the entire diner fell silent and BB started howling.

“Sorry! Sorry. Amilyn Holdo is my favourite mystery author! I had no clue she lived here!”

“Well, then I’ll be sure to introduce you!” Gwen looked thrilled to have captured the group’s interest with her small-town offerings. “Well, if you excuse me, lots to do before tonight! It was wonderful to meet you all.”

With the mechanic already called and the van towed, the gang had plenty of time to kill before a verdict on the vehicle could be made and they could leave town. Ben was still stressed about the whole thing but tried to enjoy the outing with his friends along Cabot Cove’s pier.

“So, what do you think Threepio was doing out there last night? Is he just obsessed or is he involved?” Poe asked as they walked along the pier.

“He just seemed like an eccentric old man to me,” Ben said.

“I don’t know,” Rose said, “He seemed a little too enthusiastic about the horseman. Maybe he is the horseman,” she added conspiratorially.

They came to the end of the pier, overlooking the beach and the wide vista of the ocean. Rose and Poe ran down below to run around with BB and toss a frisbee, while Ben stood with Rey on the pier above.

Ben anxiously tapped his fingers on the wood railing he and Rey leaned against.

“I’m sure the van will be fine. The mechanic seemed confident about it.”

Ben promptly stopped drumming his fingers. Rey had the uncanny ability to read his thoughts sometimes. It was both thrilling and frightening to be so well known by someone else. He was grateful to have her, but he was resolved not to damage their friendship. And he was so worried that admitting his feelings would do just that.

“I’m glad that Rose is enjoying herself though,” Rey added. “I was worried that not making it up to the cottage would stress her out, but I think the weirdness of this place is a good distraction.”

Ben nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she seems to be taking it in stride.”

Ben wished everything they’d encountered thus far was enough to distract him but managing anxiety has never been his strength.

Poe and Rose returned, ready to explore more of the weird little town. Continuing their walk along the pier, the gang were enjoying the scenic ocean view when they overheard loud voices arguing. Rounding a corner near a fish and chips stand, they spotted two figures standing in an intense standoff. One was significantly younger than the other, mid-thirties maybe. The other was an older gentleman, in his fifties wearing a well-tailored suit.

“For the last time, Palpatine, my business is not for sale. I don’t care how much money you throw at me. This is a family business and it’s going to stay that way,” The younger man yelled before stalking away.

“You’ll change your mind soon enough, Mr. Fett,” the old man, Palpatine, called after him.

“We should go,” Rey whispered urgently, realizing the old man would be headed their way.

“This town is so weird,” Rose commented as they walked further into town toward the market. “First there’s a headless horseman haunting the streets, then this overly welcoming mayor and some local historian who lurks around at night, and now some corporate-small business drama. When will it end?” Rose looked excited at the idea that the weirdness might never end.

Suddenly, Rose stopped in her tracks and grabbed Rose’s arm in a vice grip.

“That’s her,” she whispered urgently, her eyes wide.

“Who?” Rey asked, looking at the people in their surroundings. She noted a fashionable woman with lavender hair speaking with the mayor.

“Amilyn Holdo. The single greatest mystery writer in the world. She’s like the twenty-first century Agatha Christie,” Rose said with reverence.

The mayor suddenly caught their gaze and waved them over.

“Oh, no,” Rose whispered. Rey and Poe had to practically drag her over while Ben chuckled from behind.

“Amilyn, I wanted to introduce you to our reluctant guests,” she joked as she introduced the gang.

“Wonderful to meet you all,” Amilyn greeted them.

“Ms. Holdo, I am such a fan of your work.” Rose looked like she could faint at any moment. “The Menace at Mummy Manor was such an amazing addition to the series.”

Before Amilyn could respond, a young man who looked to be about their age came up beside Amilyn holding three coffees.

“Oh, Finn, thank you.” Amilyn took her coffee from the tray. “This is my research assistant Finn Trooper. Finn, these are Cabot Cove’s newest guests.”

“Nice to meet you all,” he said with a kind smile.

If it were possible, Rose looked even more dazed. Poe seemed to share her interest in their new acquaintance.

“Poe Dameron,” he said as he stuck his hand out to Finn. BB yipped at Finn’s feet below.

“Nice to meet you.” Finn’s smile widened as he shook his hand.

“This is Rey, Ben, Rose, and BB,” he added indicating to each of them.

“So, what are you researching?” Rey asked.

“The Cabot Cove Headless Horseman.”

 _What was it with this town and their obsession with this horseman?_ Rey thought.

Finn and Amilyn laughed at their expressions.

“Our guests had quite the encounter with the horseman last night,” Phasma said with a smile.

“How exciting!” Amilyn smiled. “Maybe you’ll see him again at tonight’s festival.”

“Is that what your new book is about?” Rose asked with intense interest.

“Yes, it’s quite exciting. Though maybe too exciting given these horseman appearances.” She looked at her watch then. “I’m afraid I have to get going for the time being, but I hope to see you at the festival tonight!”

As the sun fell in the sky, the Thanksgiving Festival celebrations began. Entering Fletcher Park in the town’s centre, they saw just how big of a deal this weekend was to Cabot Cove. There were vendors, games, petting zoos, food trucks, and crowds of people.

But it wasn’t all fun and games. As they came to the entrance of the park, they saw a lone man marching back and forth on the sidewalk holding a picket sign. He had an odd, bouncing gait and wore bell-bottom blue jeans, a brown fringe vest, and oddly, cowboy boots. The sign read “Thanksgiving is a Lie. We are on stolen land” in a scrawled handwriting.

“Don’t mind, Mr. Binks. He has some strong political ideas.” Mayor Phasma suddenly appeared before them to usher them into the park.

“He’s not wrong though. America’s colonial history has been severely whitewashed in the Thanksgiving story,” Ben said.

“Mayor Phasma! Mayor Phasma!” JJ Binks’ high voice called after her.

“If you’ll excuse me.” The mayor’s smile tightened as she turned to hear the concerns of her constituents.

They were overwhelmed with smells, sounds, and sights as they entered the park. Looking around, Rey knew immediately where she wanted to start.

“Popcorn,” she said with determination, the smell of salt, fat, and corn filling her nostrils.

Poe followed her gaze and nodded with a crazed look in his eyes—a look he gets often when confronted with delicious food.

They surged forward towards the popcorn stand, with a reluctant Ben behind them. Rose followed until she spotted them. Horses. Three beautiful steeds of different colours and patterns. She hated to admit it, but once upon a time Rose was a horse girl.

“I’ll be right back you guys,” she said quickly, jogging in the other direction.

Rey smiled when she saw where Rose was headed. She was one of a few who knew of her secret horse obsession.

Rey thanked the concessions person for her popcorn and immediately shoved a handful into her mouth, savouring the salty, buttery flavour.

Ben smirked at her and she carefully swallowed as she looked away in embarrassment. Suddenly, Ben’s hand stole a handful of popcorn—a large handful—and shoved it in his face, stuffing his mouth full.

“Hey!” she protested.

He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled around the mouthful of popcorn. She smiled despite herself and threw a piece of popcorn at him.

“Quit flirting you two, there are children present,” Poe interrupted shoveling popcorn in his mouth as BB jumped at his feet, begging for a taste. Rey glared at him over her shoulder as they headed over to Rose and the horses.

Poe had finished his popcorn by the time they reached the barn. Rose looked at the horses with excitement as she leaned over the fence.

“Do you want to feed them?” a voice beside her asked. She turned in surprise to see Finn.

“Sure!”

Finn offered her a chunk of a large carrot. “Hold your hand out flat and call them over.”

She did as he instructed and clicked her tongue to beckon them. A tall beige horse came forward and sniffed at her hand before taking the carrot.

Rose smiled in wonder. “They’re beautiful.”

“Can I get one?” Poe asked.

“Of course! Just hold your hand out an—” Finn was cut off as Poe took a large bite of the carrot. “Oh, it’s for you,” he laughed.

Rose was suddenly crouched on the ground inspecting the dirt of the horse’s pen.

“What is it?” Rey asked.

“This soil is the same as what I found on the road last night,” Rose noted with interest.

“Check out the sign, Rose. These horses belong to Phasma Farms,” Ben pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s the mayor’s farm,” Finn added, “I work there, doing horse training and horseback riding lessons.”

“Research assistant and horse whisperer? What can’t you do?” Poe winked at Finn, causing him to blush.

The horses soon drew the attention of other festivalgoers, including Threepio and Jango Fett the fisherman.

The sounds of whinnying interrupt them, but not from any of the three horses in front of them.

Then, chaos erupted. People yelled and scrambled out of the way, including Jango Fett and Threepio who barely dodged out of the horse’s path as it burst through the park.

The other horses reared up and whinnied in response, spooked by the sudden appearance of the horseman and the uproar of shouts. Finn hopped the fence of the horses’ paddock to calm them down.

“Let’s get out of here. I think we need to check out the Mayor’s farm,” Rose suggested. Looking at the chaos happening around them, they slipped quietly away.

The front gates of Phasma Farms enclosed a sprawling lot with a large, old farmhouse surrounded by green land and a large barn to the side. While some may have considered this trespassing, the gang were sure it was an excusable offense under such extenuating circumstances.

Besides, no one else in town seemed willing to stop the horseman’s horrors. It was up to them.

“Should we check out the barn or the house first?” Rose asked.

“We should split up. Rey and I will check out the house, you, Poe, and BB can check out the barn,” Ben answered.

Rey tried to ignore the fact that he paired them off together.

Adding breaking and entering to their list of felonies, Rey and Ben opened the front door. It was unlocked, of course.

Ben scoffed. “Small towns.” He stepped into the dark house. “You should never leave your doors unlocked.”

The farmhouse was clean, but cluttered. And dark. Ben and Rey could not find a light switch for the live of them.

“Damn it,” Ben swore as he tripped on another piece of furniture. Rey tried to suppress a laugh but failed.

“Yes, it’s very funny,” he deadpanned.

“It’s just a little funny,” she smiled. Rey was used to the dark. As a child, she’d spent many nights lying awake in the dark, waiting in vain for her parents to return for her. Rey had always felt as attracted to the dark as she was scared of it.

They searched through the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, everywhere on the first floor. Leaving just one room behind a closed door.

The door gave a loud creek as Rey pulled it open. She turned to look behind her and realized Ben was much closer than she anticipated. She had to crane her neck back to look at his face when he was this close. She could barely see his eyes in the low lighting, but she knew he was looking directly at her. Swallowing, she turned back to the room in front of them and cursed herself for not having a flashlight on hand.

Stepping forward into the pitch-black room, she searched for a light switch. The room was small—so small she soon made contact with the opposite wall.

Suddenly the door slammed behind her. She turned, ready to yell at Ben for scaring her, but came into contact with his chest instead. He was directly behind her blocking her path out. He struggled to turn around in the small space and she heard him shake the handle. It wasn’t turning.

“Fuck. We’re locked in here.”

“Why did you close the door?” Rey asked urgently.

“I didn’t! It closed behind me!”

Rey heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

“Or someone locked it,” she said as cold fear slipped through her veins.

A sound came from above their heads and Ben swore suddenly.

“What?” she whispered urgently.

“I hit my head on the fucking light,” he said. She heard him fumble with it until she heard the tell-tale click of the chain being pulled.

But nothing happened. The room was still completely dark.

“Well, it was worth a shot.”

Rey sighed. The room was tiny to begin with, but with Ben’s large frame it felt claustrophobic. Rey was worried she’d begin hyperventilating. She wasn’t sure if it was the enclosed space or Ben’s proximity.

“Wait,” he said, excitement lighting his tone. He fumbled with his pockets. The limited space made it difficult and his hand brushed Rey’s arm.

A light suddenly flicked to life between their faces. The flame of his lighter.

“I thought you quit smoking?” Rey asked. She shook her head at herself. Of all the things to say when locked in a closet with your hot best friend who you definitely do not want to kiss, harping on their vices wasn’t it.

“Good thing I’m bad at sticking to my resolutions,” he replied. Rey felt like there was a double meaning there, but she couldn’t place it. Despite the low lights, Ben could see the freckles scattered across Rey’s cheeks. Rey could in turn see the moles dotting Ben’s face and neck. They both tried to avoid staring, but there was nowhere else to look.

As a result, they ended up gazing at each other, the flickering light reflecting in their eyes. Their eyes flicked to each other’s lips and they somehow drew even closer, despite the flame between them.

They were entranced. Leaning closer and closer, they were barely a breath apart before they were suddenly blinded with light. They broke apart with a start though there wasn’t really any room to move, squinting at the now lit lightbulb above them.

Ben closed his lighter and put in back in his jacket pocket while clearing his throat. Rey looked away.

Suddenly, the door opened from behind them and they were met with the surprised face of Cabot Cove’s mayor.

They each stood frozen with eyes wide. The mayor’s brow creased, but before she could ask them what they’re doing alone in her broom closet, they heard the tell-tale sound of hooves outside the house.

Mayor Phasma spun to look out the window and saw the blur of a dark figure speed by on horseback.

They rushed to the front door, but rather than the horseman, they were met with the wide-eyed faces of Rose, Poe, BB-8, and Finn running up the front steps.

“Where’d he come from?” Rey asked, looking to Finn.

“He came to return the horses. That’s not the point. We found footsteps.”

“Leading where?” Ben asked.

“It got too dark before we could track them. But they were coming from the barn.”

“That’s not much.”

“But they were large footprints. And he must have been wearing boots of some kind.”

“Do I want to know what your four were doing on my property?” The mayor asked with a raised brow.

They all looked at each other with awkward grimaces.

“You see, Mayor… We just wanted to check up on the place,” Poe explained with a charming smile.

“You were snooping,” she surmised, cutting through Poe’s bullshit.

“Yeah, we were snooping,” he conceded, his smile turning contrite.

Mayor Phasma crossed her arms as she looked at the group.

“Can you blame us for being suspicious, Mayor? You were so excited about the Horseman and were using like some kind of tourist attraction. It seemed easy to believe you could have been behind it,” Rose reasoned.

“Well, while I wasn’t behind it, I didn’t try to stop it.” Her crossed arms fell to her side. “I knew one of my horses was being used. At first, I was pissed. But I did see an opportunity in it. Something to draw people to our sleepy town. That’s when the Thanksgiving Festival started, a way to tie everything together, make an event of it.”

“So, you ignored the fear of your townspeople for one weekend of tourism?” Rose asked, judgement in her voice.

“I know it was wrong, but I thought it would blow over. And then the tourism was so good, I didn’t even care. I am sorry. I see now I should have put a stop to it before. But I’m willing to do it now.”

They gang could see how much she meant it.

“Do you have any idea who it could be?” Rey asked.

The mayor sighed. “I wish that I did. I never paid enough mind to form any theories. You’ve been very involved since you arrived. Do you have any ideas?” she asked, a hopeful note entering her voice.

“Well, we have some theories, but nothing conclusive yet.”

“I promise to help in any way I can. But please. No more trespassing or breaking and entering.”

Given the late hour, they all agreed to re-convene at the festival tomorrow with any progress on their investigation.

Back at the inn, Ben was disappointed to have no news about his van yet. Kaydel offered a sympathetic smile as he followed his friends up to their rooms.

Ben nearly lost his footing on the stairs when Rey suddenly spun around to face him. She grabbed his arm to help steady his large frame.

Rey looked at him for a moment, her eyes flicking between his as she struggled to find words. It made Ben nervous.

“About what happened—or almost happened… before at the Mayor’s house…” She trailed off.

Ben’s heartbeat picked up speed and he swallowed. He didn’t have any idea how to address this.

“Yeah…” was all he could manage. Standing so close to her again, this time in the warm light of the inn’s hallway, he was once again distracted by her eyes, her freckles… her lips.

Seeing his gaze fall to her mouth, Rey couldn’t help but do the same.

Suddenly, her grip on his arm shifted. She slid her hands to his jaw and pulled him into a kiss. Ben’s eyes widened in shock. She was kissing him. His best friend, Rey. Rey, who saw him at his worst and helped him to become better. Rey was kissing him. Ben’s eyes soon fell closed as he kissed her back. One hand slid to her neck, the other pulled her by the waist to move them even closer together. She gasped for breath as they broke apart.

“So, yeah. That,” she said breathlessly.

“Right,” he nodded, equally out of breath.

“Right,” she nodded back. “Well…” Rey was still a loss for words. But her mind was overwhelmed with even more questions. Why did she do that? Why are they both so bad at talking? What do they do now? What did this mean for them?

Before either one of them could begin to figure out what to do or say next, Rose suddenly opened her door.

“Not to interrupt, but Poe and I are ready to review our research.” Rose grinned knowingly.

Back in their room, Rose and Poe had mapped out all of their subjects on the wall of their room, complete with string and pins connecting people, places, and evidence.

“Wow,” was all Ben could say.

“Impressive, huh?” Poe grinned with pride.

Rose clapped her hands together with excitement. “Let’s start with our suspects.” She pointed to the first image. Rey didn’t want to know where she found their photos.

“We’ve ruled out the mayor. But what about C. Threepio?”

“His interest in the horseman is very suspicious,” Ben conceded, using this opportunity to distract himself from thinking about Rey and that kiss.

“No, he was with us at the festival when the horseman appeared,” Rey countered.

“What about Jango Fett, the fisherman?” Poe added.

“Nope, he was there, too.”

“Who does that leave, then?” Ben asked.

“Someone who can access the Mayor’s house easily—so someone near-by, I guess. Someone who wants to scare the town. Scare someone away,” Rose suggested.

“Or someone who wants to draw people to the town. Like the mayor admitted, it can be good for tourism,” Rey added.

Rose sighed. “Too many possibilities, too many variables. It could be anybody in this town.” She threw her hands in the air. “We need to sleep on this.”

“Let’s give it a rest for tonight. We can reconvene in the morning, set a plan of action over breakfast,” Ben suggested.

“Yes, breakfast. That’s a good idea,” Poe agreed, already planning his next meal.

Walking to the door, Ben caught Rey’s gaze and winked before leaving her room.

She blushed and turned away, but not before Poe could waggle his eyebrows at her suggestively. She flipped him off before he closed the door.

“So, did you and Ben finally confess your feelings for each other?” Rose asked.

Rey feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rose laughed. “Right! As if I didn’t walk in on you and Ben making out on the stairs.”

“Goodnight, Rose.” Rey said dismissively, turning off her bedside lamp and curling under the blankets.

Rose simply laughed, but Rey couldn't get the thought of Ben's mouth against hers out of her head.


	3. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang have their suspect and spend the day gathering evidence before the grand climax at the Thanksgiving Festival.  
> But who is behind the Headless Horseman?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I proof-read this since I finished writing this fic a few weeks ago? Nope.  
> Sorry for any mistakes or Bad Writing, hope you enjoy the final chapter nonetheless. This was a very fun, dumb little story that I enjoyed writing.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos also! It's much appreciated.

“I’ve figured it out!” Rose called out as she descended the stairs.

“Figured it out?” Poe asked good-naturedly.

They were waiting for Rose in the lobby of the inn that morning, but Poe was getting antsy as he did whenever he had to wait for a meal.

“Yes. I have figured it out. I know who the headless horseman is.” She beamed with pride as she stepped off the stairs.

“And what is your conclusion, Miss Marple?” Rey asked, teasingly.

“It’s J.J. Binks,” she said with the lift of her chin.

“The hippie protester?” Ben asked with a furrowed brow. “What makes you think that?”

They left the inn and began walking to town as Rose relayed her reasoning.

“He’s clearly mad at the town for perpetuating colonial ideas through their Thanksgiving celebrations. He was out their protesting. But then he happened to be nowhere to be seen when the Horseman showed up. How convenient.” Her voice grew in excitement as she went on and her hand gestures grew more exaggerated. “And then! Those footprints we saw outside the barn were pretty large. The person who left them had to be pretty tall and he was wearing cowboy boots.”

“But how do we prove it?” Poe asked.

“We follow him. See what other evidence we can collect.”

The gang spent the entire day sneaking around the town, creeping after J.J. Binks. They followed him to the coffee shop that morning where they sat slouched behind him in one of the booths, heads held low wearing souvenir shop sunglasses and hats. Rey had to nudge Rose hard at one point when she caught site of Amilyn Holdo on the other side of the coffee shop and wouldn’t stop staring.

They followed him to the library where he spent a long time in one aisle of the stacks. The gang snuck around to the shelves on either side of him, creeping through the gaps between books. J.J. stood in those shelves browsing every book for so long that Ben decided to pick up a book himself and start reading to pass the time. He didn’t notice Rey come up to read over his arm until she was right beside him.

“What are you reading?” she whispered. She was so close he could feel her breath on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if things would be normal today after last night’s kiss. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted normal or something different… something more.

He held out the cover for her with raised eyebrows. It was Amilyn Holdo’s latest novel.

“Is it any good?”

He shrugged. “Might help if I’d read any of the others first.”

Rey took one side of the book so she could read alongside him. But Ben wasn’t looking at the words anymore, he was a little distracted by Rey’s proximity. Standing in profile right next to him, her arm pressing against his. Her freckles in clear detail along her cheeks and nose.

Their kiss had replayed his mind all night. And he was more than tempted to relive it with her right here.

Rey looked up and caught his gaze. Her smile fell as she saw the heat in his gaze. She licked her lips unconsciously.

Ben closed the book as he leaned over Rey. She backed up a step, hitting the shelves behind her, never breaking eye contact with him.

Ben was the one to instigate the kiss this time. His mouth pressed against hers felt better than even before. It was soft and slow, unrushed. He was taking his time as heat slowly built between them. His hands gripped her hips, pressing her further into the shelves and she tangled her hands in his dark hair. She loved his hair, taking any chance she got to casually touch it. But to be able to grip his hair to press their mouths together was even better.

A throat cleared beside them and they pulled away from eachother.

“I know we’re on vacation, but we do have work to do,” Rose said with a stern look on her face, but her lips twitched in a smile.

On the other side of the bookshelves, Poe continued to watch J.J.

“What are you doing?” a voice whispered directly behind him. He jumped, knocking over several books in the process. He fumbled to right them as he turned around.

Finn stood behind him. “What? Nothing. What are you doing here?” he asked in return, trying to put on a casual tone as if he weren’t stalking some strange man.

Finn smiled despite Poe’s odd behaviour. “I’m collecting research with Amilyn.”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

“What’s with your backpack?” Poe was once again sporting his backpack on the front, at which point BB-8 made his presence known, poking his head out to great his new friend.

“BB!” Poe whisper-yelled in warning. BB-8 simply panted, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Finn simply laughed, reaching out to pet the corgi.

Rose appeared beside them. “J.J.’s gone. Oh. Hi, Finn! We were just, uh… looking for some light reading.” She tried to smile convincingly.

“C’mon, Poe!” She pulled her friend away from their mutual crush and moved a row over to inspect what books J.J. was looking at. Rey and Ben were already there, poking through the books.

“It’s all regional history, most of it colonial,” Rey noted.

“Research for his protest signs?” Ben suggested.

“I guess.” Rey flipped through another book with a bored expression.

“This doesn’t tell us much then, huh?” Rose said.

“Not so much.” Rey snapped her book shut and returned it to the shelf.

“Onto the next stop, then.”

After a lunch that went on for an hour too long thanks to Poe’s supposed need for two extra helpings, they followed J.J. to their final stop—the Thanksgiving Festival. He was protesting there as he was the night before.

“We’ve been following him all day and he really hasn’t done anything suspicious,” Ben said as they entered Fletcher Park.

“We should set a trap,” Poe determined.

“A trap?” Rey wasn’t convinced.

“A trap. Catch him—or whoever the horseman is—red-handed.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?” Ben interjected.

“Hang a net over the barn doors and wait,” Poe shrugged.

“We could get a net from that fisherman on the pier,” Rey suggested. Ben gave her a look. “What?” she asked. “I don’t think we have any other options.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “I don’t think so.”

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Ben muttered for the hundredth time.

Rose shushed him and gave him a stern look.

They were crouched on either side of the barn doors, waiting. Ben held the rope taught, ready to let go when the moment was right. Rey tried not to notice how alluring Ben’s arms looked under his thin sweater with his muscled tensed. They could hear the sounds of the festival carrying on outside, but they didn’t dare make a sound. Rey barely breathed from beside Ben for fear of making a noise. It could have also been Ben’s arms taking her breath away, but she was trying to avoid the distraction.

The silence of the barn was broken by the sound of a horse whinnying behind them. BB whimpered and buried into Poe’s side.

The horseman was already here.

Before the gang could react, the barn doors slid open to reveal Finn standing outside. He froze at the sight of the horse running toward him and dove out of the way just as it burst out of the barn and into the festival outside.

In the rush and surprise of the Horseman’s appearance, Ben let go of the rope. Finn watched the horseman with wide eyes before the net fell over him.

“Shit, sorry.” Ben tugged at the ropes, trying to untangle Finn from the net.

Once they freed him, they were at a loss.

“Well, what now?” Rey asked.

“I say we go the Mayor’s house. That’s where they went last time, I think that’s where they’ll be headed tonight,” Ben said.

Rey looked at him with raised eyebrows. 

“What? I’m invested now,” he defended. Rey rolled her eyes and smiled. She always saw right through him. He was enjoying himself for more than one reason.

“We better get a move on if we want to set up a stake-out,” Rose interrupted. They all nodded and once again snuck off in the confusion and chaos of the festival’s uninvited guest.

They barely made it down the road before a minivan squealed to a stop beside them. The window rolled down to reveal Mayor Gwen Phasma.

“Get in, kids.” They shambled into her van and set off down the road at break-neck speeds.

“Thanks for the ride,” Rey said as she held onto the passenger’s door for dear life.

“I meant what I said the other night. I’m ready to do what’s right.”

Once at the mayor’s house, they ran for the barn and much like before, they were crouched inside the doors, waiting. Located at the side of the mayor’s house, it provided a line of sight of the driveway and path leading to her front door. Which means they hear the crunch of footsteps as someone approached up the drive.

“Someone’s coming,” Rey whispered, “But on foot,” she added, confused. It couldn’t be the horseman then, could it?

Gwen lifted her head toward the window, peering over the edge.

“J.J.?” she whispered in confusion.

Rose gasped. “J.J! I was right!” Before they could stop her, she pulled the barn doors open.

“Stop right there!” she yelled.

J.J. jumped in surprise and let out a terrible scream, fumbling with something in his hands.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”

“We don’t have any guns,” Rose said, her excitement morphing to confusion.

J.J. was still shaking despite her reassurances.

“Mr. Binks, what are you doing here?” Gwen asked.

“I was just leaving a letter. Just a letter.” His voice wavered and his hands shook.

Before they could interrogate him any further, the tell-tale sounds of a horse’s hooves carried up the drive. The horseman was here. And he wasn’t expecting them.

Running out of the barn, they blocked the horse’s path. Rey looked on in confusion and betrayal as Gwen ran for the house. So much for her commitment to doing the right thing. But before Rey could call out after her, they were blinded by a sudden burst of light. A series of security lights outside the barn and the house had been flipped on.

The sudden light spooked the hose, who reared back, throwing the rider to the ground. Finn grabbed the horse’s reins and calmed her down, leading her away from the excitement.

“Let’s just see who the real Headless Horseman is,” Rose said with determination. She approached the figure who was groaning in pain from their fall.

Unbuttoning the horseman’s coat, Rose revealed the face of Cabot Cove’s acclaimed mystery writer.

“Amilyn Holdo!” they all called out in surprise.

“But why?” asked Mayor Phasma with hurt and confusion on her face.

“It’s simple really,” Rose responded. “Amilyn’s novels have been losing popularity and money for years now. She needed the next one to be a big hit or her publishers were going to drop her. And what better way to market your mystery novel than with a real, live ghost.”

“And those footprints weren’t J.J.’s cowboy boots, but her riding boots.” Poe added.

“And while we were following Mr. Binks here around town, Amilyn was following us. Checking up on us and our investigation,” Rose realized. “Everywhere we went, she just happened to be around.”

“Gwen, is all of this true? You’ve been doing this for your career?” Gwen asked.

She looked embarrassed to have been found out. “You didn’t seem to mind having a Headless Horseman haunt the town until these four showed up. I would have gotten away with it, too. If it weren’t for you meddling kids and your dumb dog, too.”

BB-8 barked happily.

The Cabot Cove Sheriff’s Office was soon called and Amilyn Holdo taken into custody. Rey, Rose, Ben, and Poe were thanked for their investigative efforts, but advised to leave such matters to the professionals. The mayor’s thanks were much more sincere.

After making their statements at the police station, they finally retired to the Cabot Cove Hill House Inn where Kaydel had good news for Ben. His van was repaired and had been dropped off earlier that day.

They’d solved the mystery and could go home.

* * *

It was a bright and early morning, the sun had barely risen, and the gang was on the road again. Ben sighed in relief as they passed the Leaving Cabot Cove sign. He had no intentions to Visit Again Soon. And he didn’t think anyone else would either, but Rose interrupted his thoughts.

“Maybe we should make Cabot Cove our new Thanksgiving tradition.”

Rey turned to look at her friend over her shoulder with a raised brow. 

“What? It was a fun weekend. We should hunt ghosts more often.”

Rey rolled her eyes and turned back to the front of the van. But the smile on Ben’s face made Rey pause. Maybe Rose was right.

“I will say, this weekend had its moments,” Rey conceded, sliding her eyes to Ben.

His smile widened knowingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End!
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


End file.
